


The Siege of Hell

by Simarillion



Series: Agnus Dei! Verse [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-03
Updated: 2010-04-03
Packaged: 2017-10-08 16:35:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/77551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Simarillion/pseuds/Simarillion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Heaven is being made aware of Lilith's plans they lay siege to hell to free the soul of one Dean Winchester.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Siege of Hell

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The characters in this story are borrowed from the Supernatural universe and from the bible. So, they aren't mine. No profit is being made and this is just my take on certain events of the current season.

Castiel is on his way to receive revelations when the news arrives. Lilith's plans have been partially uncovered and suddenly it has become all too clear why the Winchester brothers are of such interest to the demons. They have great plans for them. Both of them. Not only the one with the demon blood.

Dean Winchester, the older brother, made a deal with Lilith and traded his soul for his brother's life. According to the plan that the Hordes have been made aware of, is it of great importance that the two brothers are exchanged, the younger alive and walking the face of earth, and the older dead and confined to hell. Where Sam Winchester is courted by demons, Dean Winchester is being tortured with the goal to break him. A righteous man being broken in hell.

_'And it is written, that the first seal shall be broken when a righteous man sheds blood in hell. As he breaks, so shall it break.'_ The demons plan to bring upon the apocalypse and raise Lucifer from his prison. Earth is on the eve of war, and the Hordes failed to prevent the start of it.

He never gets to receive revelations after this news, for heaven is on the move to lay siege to hell. Every angel and a garrison of archangels are leaving only moments after the disturbing information is revealed. It is Michael himself who leads his warriors to the gates of the underworld and who cuts down the enemies who dare to barricade his way.

And for the first time since the Great War in Heaven Castiel fights alongside his brethren. His talents are usually to be found in the acquisition and keeping of knowledge, and he's been an apprentice to the _potestates_ for centuries. As such he's rarely been called to arms. But this time he finds himself beside his brother Uriel and they lay waste to the abominations of Hell that try to repel Heaven's army.

More and more demons join the fight, and soon there is black smoke and sulphuric dust in the air. The ashes on the ground are burning hot and smudge the unblemished shining bodies of the heavenly warriors. Some of the fallen bodies burn from the powers used to defeat the enemy, and both, angels and demons, are getting weaker as the fighting continues.

Just as the Heavenly Hordes seem to gain the upper hand, the Black Gates open and the sound of hooves can be heard. Beastly cries cut through the screams and the clashing of swords. As the demons part, four horses gallop forth and the riders raise their weapons for an attack on the angels before them.

First the white horse charges at the Hordes, and the rider sends forth arrows which find their target and strike down angel after angel. Each shot is a hit and a song of victory leaves the lips of both rider and horse. The success recharges the demonic rows and together with the fiery horseman they charge the attacking forces of Heaven. The second rider makes for Michael himself and his broadsword cuts a bloody way through the masses. It is only Jophiel's sacrifice that saves Michael from being smitten himself.

Once the red and the white horse have joined the battle the other two horses make their move on the Hordes themselves. Whereas the black horse tramples over angels and demons alike, the pale horse rears its head and calls out. Its head looks like an equine skull that has been covered with bleached and dried out skin and fur, the eyes are fiery red and from its nostrils and its mouth drops yellow puss. The cry shakes the earth and sends chills right through the soul. From the gate the sound of moans and whimpers can be heard, and soon more demons and tortured souls come stumbling and crawling to surround the fourth horseman. Together with its army it joins the battle and attacks.

Castiel keeps an eye out for his brothers and sisters from his garrison but the chaos all around him makes it difficult to distinguish Friend from Foe. The angels are covered in filth, blood and ashes, and their shining faces are all that makes it possible to recognise them for what they really are. Piercing pain has him fall to his knees. When he looks up Castiel finds himself face to face with the red horse. The broadsword has stabbed through his wings and suddenly all of his wounds start to ache so fiercely that he almost throws down his sword and falls down. It is only Uriel's intervention that saves him from death as his brother drags him away,back behind the front lines of the army.

As soon as he has been brought to relative safety his brother returns to the fighting, and all Castiel can do is watch from the back how more and more angels fall under the growing numbers of demons and Hellbeasts. There is the sound of wings in the air, and he turns his head heavenwards. More angels have arrived and leading them is Azrael with his garrison, his spear bright and shining, a red cross hanging attached to it. In his other hand he holds a flaming sword and on his brow the light from heaven itself shines down on the enemies.

Many beasts and demons cry out in pain when the heavenly glory touches their faces and they crawl back though the Black Gates. But most of the demonic army stays and they fight hard to reach the new arrivals, eager to quench the light that blinds their eyes and burns their souls. As Azrael joins the battle, the other angels rush to the front to relieve their wounded and tired brothers and sisters.

The battle lasts for a very long time. Sometimes the forces of Hell are at an advantage, and sometimes the Hordes of Heaven are at an advantage. Castiel fights hard and he's wounded many times. His garrison dwindles in size but still there is no end in sight. The siege lengthens and lengthens and once the demonic army retreats behind the Black Gates, all the angels can do is wait outside and try to force their way in.

Over the next couple of years most fights are minor skirmishes from both sides, and the longer they have to wait, the greater the danger gets that Dean Winchester will break. It takes them almost twenty five years before they are able to breach the gate. Inside Hell the angels come to face an army of millions of demons, and every step forward has to be paid in blood and pain.

Even though the Heavenly Hordes are inside the demonic realm, they still are far away from rescuing the soul that they set out to free. As the war goes on Hell sends out more and more of its monsters and so the four horsemen are joined by Gog and Magog. The two demonic lords send out their armies to destroy the heavenly forces, and to drench the ashes in angelic blood.

On both sides the numbers of the fallen are high and even though the demons have a higher death count than the angels, the impact of each fallen heavenly warrior is more than ten times the impact of a fallen hell demon. Whereas Hell seems to house millions of demons and beasts, the angels are not that plentiful, and they are not used to losing so many of their own. The sight of the broken bodies and the torn wings is something Castiel never expected to see again after the Great War and he promises to remember each and every one of his brothers and sisters who sacrificed their life for the cause.

During the Thirtieth year the news reaches the battlefield. _Dean Winchester has shed blood._ The first seal has been broken and Lilith is starting to set out and free Lucifer. Once more the angels renew the vigour of their attacks but they are not able to break the line of the demonic army.

Ten years after that the Heavenly Hordes call back garrisons. They are needed to hunt down Lilith and stop her plans. Thus weakened the Heavenly Forces are being repelled by the demons, but they aren't expelled from Hell completely. The battle continues and when Azrael together with Michael are able to banish the four horsemen from the battle grounds, it suddenly looks like Heaven is going to get the upper hand.

In this hour of triumph Hell sends out its greatest warrior, and the ground shakes as a thunderous roar has everyone tremble. The Great Red Dragon has risen from its slumber and its wing beats sound like thunder clapping as it approaches the battle. The beast is of such immense size that its shadow almost covers the entire demonic army. Its seven heads are crowned with ten horns and seven diadems. Smoke curls out of its mouths and when it breathes, hellfire spills forth.

One of the flames burns Castiel's wings and he falls. The pain is excruciating and it takes all of his strength to crawl away from the battlefield and lie on the side as the fighting goes on. He lies in the midst of fallen demons and their stinking blood sticks to his body. Everything smells like sulphur, the air has a constant yellow sheen these days.

It takes some time before he feels strong enough to move, and as Castiel looks around, he notices that the battle has moved further away from him. He realises that from a distance he has to look like the demons he is resting upon, all dirty and covered in blood and ashes. Chances are he even smells of their rotten and hellish stench.

Another roar shakes the ground and the Great Dragon charges against the Heavenly Hordes once again. Castiel looks away and to the front. Dead bodies and blood as far as he can see. Slowly he gets up and picks his sword up. He ponders about what to do, when he realizes that the battle and the fighting are moving even further away from him. He takes a slow and painful step towards them, but then he stops.

The moving of the battlefield has left the way into hell open for him. Castiel knows that he has the chance to get behind the enemy lines. Cautiously he moves forward and step after painful step he walks deeper into Hell. The ashes on the ground seem to glow sometimes, as if the ground tries to burst into flames. The soles of his feet are scorched, the bruises and cuts of his wounds ache, and his injured wings tremble with pain. But he ignores all of it and determinedly continues on.

There are no demons for they are all fighting near the Gates, but there are tortured souls hanging on racks. Castiel sees their fearful and despaired looks, but he also sees their true core. Underneath, many of them are rotten and evil. They watch his progression with sightless eyes.

Even further in Hell Castiel finds himself facing what seems like piles of dead and skinned bodies. Only when he hears a soft whimper does he realise that these bloody figures are still alive. The sight of the skinned beings isn't the worst he sees here, but he ignores the pleas for help and for salvation and walks on. His strength starts to fade as his wounds and injuries weaken him as the time goes on.

Days after he set out on his own to find the soul of Dean Winchester, Castiel finds that he has to rest. He cannot move on, and so he sits down next to a rack of souls whose eyeballs had been cut out and whose inarticulate wails keep him company as he closes his eyes and recharges his strength. He stays for many hours before he feels strong enough to commence his journey deeper into Hell.

It takes two more days before he finds what he has been looking for. In front of a rack of souls, Castiel finds the broken soul of Dean Winchester. Knife in hand the former human approaches the other soul in front of him, a young woman with a rotten core, and sets about to torture her.

"Stop!" Castiel's voice rings clear as a bell over to the man.

The tormentor turns around and looks at him with incomprehension. He doesn't recognise the angel for what he truly is. The Heavenly Being's appearance very much like everybody else all around them. When his eyes come to rest on the bloody and torn wings on Castiel's back, Dean Winchester takes a step away from him and shakes his head in denial.

"No, no, no," are the only words that make it over the man's lips as he raises the knife in front of him, as if protecting himself against the angel.

Another painful step forward and Castiel reaches out to the soul in front of him. A gesture meant to calm and soothe the disturbed man, but the only reaction he gets is more head shaking and another step back. Tired and even a tiny bit impatient he approaches the other. His hand grabs Dean Winchester on the shoulder to drag him away from the racks.

Much quicker than he could have anticipated, the man reacts and plunges the knife into Castiel's shoulder. The filthy demonic blade stings and he almost lets got of the soul. He drops his sword and taps the man's forehead, sending the other to sleep. Once the soul is at rest, he pulls out the knife and picks up his sword. Another injury to be added to the already growing list of wounds, but he doesn't care. He has found what they came to retrieve, and he will return the soul of Dean Winchester back to earth.

The trek back takes him much longer. Every time the soul awakes it starts to assault him, and fights to get free. The constant fighting exhausts Castiel but he cannot stop and rest like on his way into hell. And so he struggles on and carries the soul with him. Once more he passes the skinned bodies, and the eyeless souls.

Almost two weeks after he found Dean Winchester, he arrives back at the battlefield. The fighting is even further away than when he set out, and so he carefully carries his charge past the fighting and the battle. He hears the roar of the dragon, the clashing of swords, cries and trampling, but he ignores everything and moves on. Nobody notices him as he slips out past the gates, and Castiel looks back, seeing his brothers and sisters struggling with demons and beasts, Azrael charging Magog, and Michael battling the Great Dragon.

The soul starts to slip from his injured shoulder but he settles it once more safely and then spreads his wings. Each flap sends spears of agony into him. Castiel steels himself against the pain and slowly starts his ascent. His energy dwindles rapidly but he keeps on flying. Up and up. Higher and higher. When he breaks through the barrier between Hell and Earth, he can feel the heat from below recede and fresh air, a soft breeze, greet him.

It is not far to the grave site and Castiel carefully touches down. He cradles the soul in his arms and after using some of his energy to heal the worst wounds that had been inflicted on the man, he uses the rest of his powers to push the soul back into its body. The human body is restored in the process, and the backlash from it flattens part of the surrounding forest. Castiel trembles and shakes as he lies down next to the grave. He can hear the heart of Dean Winchester starting to beat, his lungs filling with air, and to his ears there never has been a sweeter sound.


End file.
